Brian May says Rami Malek deserves an Oscar

Rami Malek deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, according to Queen star Brian May.

The 71-year-old rocker is more than a little impressed with the actor’s role-playing and he’s urging Oscar voters to reward the young star with a nod.

“He’s incredible,” May, who served as a creative and musical consultant on the biopic, tells Classic Rock. “Without a doubt, he’ll be on the nominations list for an Oscar and well deserved as well. He inhabited Freddie to the point where we even started to think of him as Freddie. Really remarkable.”

May also thinks Gwilym Lee, who portrays him in the film, is worthy of an Oscars Best Supporting Actor nomination, adding, “The guy who plays me should be getting awards all over.”

The Queen star is grateful fans have responded so well to the film after it opened to less than ecstatic reviews.

“We’ve lived with this project for nine years and it’s incredible to see it doing so well,” he says. “It came out to shitty reviews, as some of our work has before, but the public has embraced it magnificently. Everybody gave 200 per cent, from the actors and technicians to the production team and hair and makeup, everyone. You don’t get any lukewarm responses.”

The guitarist is now working on another ambitious job – providing music for a new NASA project.

“I’m making music as we speak. I’m doing a new piece of music for NASA,” he explains. “I’m not going to give it away. I’m very excited.”

I had a simple question for former Eagles guitarist Don Felder. “The Bernie Taupin credited with the artwork on your new album. Is that THE Bernie Taupin?” “That’s the only Bernie Taupin I know,” Felder answered laughing.

With the staging of Australia’s first production of David Bowie’s final work ‘Lazarus’, The Production Company has taken a giant risk moving outside its comfort zone. It was the right decision to make.